Because the choice of flights to Dili is somewhat limited, we book-ended our Timor Leste trip with overnight stays in Bali. We chose Sanur, which is both relatively close to Denpasar airport, and a destination in its own right.

We stayed at Flashbacks, and would certainly recommend it (although it's as well to be aware that even Sanur's evening musical offerings go on longer than you would perhaps prefer...). The bungalows are tastefully designed and decorated, and the grounds, while not extensive, are creatively and prettily laid out.

The attached Porch Cafe is great. It specializes in good coffee and good bread, so the breakfast toast and lunchtime sandwich options are a real joy. The smoked marlin salad is also worth a try, as are the strawberry smoothies.

Nearby is a long stretch of walkable seafront. Yes, it's developed and commercial, but not too brashly, and there are plenty of sea views and picturesque details in amongst the restaurants and souvenir stalls.





If you walk north along this seafront, you get to the Museum Le Mayeur. This Belgian painter settled in Bali in the 1930s. Like so many European artists, he found his creative juices profitably stimulated by the beauties of Bali -- and, let's be honest, particularly by the beauties of its young people. Ni Pollok became Le Mayeur's model and then his wife. You really have to wonder about the 37-year age difference, but it's hard to deny the beauty of the paintings she and her friends inspired. The museum is their former home, and the carved furniture, doors, and shutters provide a fine showcase for the artworks. Outside, the garden is a riot of flowers and statuary.



Sedate Sanur somehow lends itself to afternoon tea. On the way out, the Puri Santrian provided a cake stand full of delicacies to enjoy by the sea, and on the way back through Bali, en route to Kalimantan, we sampled the Porch's version. The highlights of the former were the interestingly different little savouries and the totally decadent chocolate creation; the pieces de resistance of the latter (though I wonder if you can actually have more than one piece de resistance) were the big fat scones and the pikelets (when did you last have a pikelet?). I love afternoon tea...

I'm ambivalent about Bali, to be honest. I know it's beautiful, but I can't help but find it overrated, compared with my beloved Java. Despite my scepticism, however, the old Bali magic always reasserts itself. The offerings, the incense, the manic stonework, the extra-exuberant flowers... It all winds itself around even the most demanding of hearts.